Stories from the Frontline

Todd Roberts
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  • Management
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Stories From the Frontline is a podcast about real leadership, real work, and the lessons that shape our lives. Hosted by Todd Roberts, leadership coach, author, and frontline leader with 33 years of real-world management experience, this show goes beyond leadership theory and corporate buzzwords to explore the human side of growth, work, culture, and success. Each episode features honest conversations, practical wisdom, and real stories from frontline leaders, small business owners, entrepreneurs, graduates, and everyday people learning how to lead, grow, and navigate life with intention. From leadership lessons and mindset shifts to business journeys and personal turning points, there’s a lesson in every story. If you are tired of fake guru advice and want authentic conversations that challenge the way you lead, work, and live, this podcast is for you.

  1. 16h ago

    How to be a Better Manager (Even With No Support)

    What do you do when nobody is teaching you how to be a better manager? When I was a young manager, I wanted to lead better, build trust, handle conflict, motivate people, and get better results — but I did not have a coach or mentor showing me how. So I found mentors in books. In this episode, I introduce you to my “coaching team” and share the leadership lessons I learned from Vince Lombardi, John Maxwell, Stephen Covey, Dale Carnegie, Simon Sinek, Zig Ziglar, and others. You’ll hear four lessons that shaped the way I lead today: Lead yourself first. Stop waiting. Leadership can be learned. How you treat people matters. Most importantly, you do not have to wait for your company, your boss, or HR to decide when you are going to grow. A book sitting on your shelf cannot mentor you. You have to take what you learn and use it. Nobody may be developing you right now. But you can start developing yourself today. What are you reading right now? #HowToBeABetterManager #NewManager #ManagerTraining #LeadershipDevelopment #LeadershipBooks

  2. Aug 13

    The Secret To A Team That Actually Shows Up

    Frontline managers and supervisors: if people problems, employee engagement, accountability, turnover, and team performance are making leadership harder than it should be, this video is for you. Learn 3 leadership skills for managers that can improve people management, team management, employee engagement, and team performance: Clarify. Connect. Coach. Most managers eventually feel like people are the problem. Someone calls in.Someone quits.Someone is not trained.Someone is not meeting expectations.Two employees are in conflict. And somehow, it all ends up back on the manager. But strong team leadership starts with understanding how to lead people better. In this video, you’ll learn how to: Clarify expectations so employees know what success looks likeBuild real connection that improves engagement, effort, and retentionCoach employees to solve problems and take more ownershipImprove accountability without losing the human side of leadershipBuild a stronger team without solving every problem yourselfOne of the biggest lessons in people management is this: People can become your biggest problem or your greatest asset. Leadership determines which one they become. This video is for frontline managers, supervisors, new managers, team leaders, and anyone looking for practical leadership skills for managers. If you want to improve your team management skills, employee engagement, leadership skills, and people management, start with these three: Clarify. Connect. Coach. #LeadershipSkills #PeopleManagement #FrontlineManager #TeamManagement #SupervisorTraining #EmployeeEngagement

  3. Aug 3

    Managers, You’re Tired for a Reason: The Turnover Trap No One Talks About

    Many managers start the day tired, work long hours, get very little sleep, and repeat the same cycle the next day. But what if your exhaustion is not just a workload problem? For many frontline managers and supervisors, employee turnover becomes their workload. Every resignation creates another uncovered position, another schedule to change, another employee to train, and another day spent filling gaps instead of leading, developing, and engaging the team. The cycle looks like this: Turnover creates more work.More work leaves less time to lead.Less leadership creates a weaker employee experience.A weaker employee experience creates more turnover. In this episode of Stories from the Frontline, Todd Roberts explains why manager exhaustion and employee turnover are often connected—and how frontline leaders can begin breaking the cycle through four practical leadership actions: Know your people.Engage your people.Develop your people.Delegate responsibility. You do not have to accept being tired as the price of leadership. The goal is to build a team that shows up, grows stronger, gets results, and makes your job and life more sustainable. Join The Frontline Leader Community and start free: https://www.skool.com/frontline-leader-community-5779/about Advanced training, coaching, tools, and practical leadership systems are available for less than the cost of one energy drink a day. Books for frontline leaders: How to Be a Great Leaderhttps://a.co/d/0hbWbFqi Build a Team People Want to Show Up Forhttps://a.co/d/0axIojJy Follow Stories from the Frontline for practical leadership training, new manager tips, employee engagement strategies, employee retention ideas, and real stories from the frontline.

  4. Jul 27

    Managers: The Failure That Never Happened Is Keeping You Stuck

    Managers and supervisors: fear of failure may be keeping you stuck before you ever even try. In this episode of Stories from the Frontline, Todd Roberts uses the SpaceX story to challenge the way managers think about failure, regret, perfectionism, and growth. SpaceX did not expect every early test to work perfectly. The goal was to test, learn, find failure points, and make the next attempt better. The same is true in leadership. You may be avoiding: Applying for a promotionHaving a difficult conversationDelegating responsibilityChanging a broken processStarting something you have talked about for yearsFear may protect you from rejection, criticism, and mistakes. But it may also protect you from growth, opportunity, confidence, and success. Todd also shares how fear affected decisions in his own career and why regret can last longer than failure. The belief shift is simple: If you never try, you may never discover what you were capable of. This episode is for managers and supervisors who know they can do more, but fear, overthinking, or perfectionism keeps making the decision. Stop wondering. Start trying. Join the Frontline Leader Community:https://www.skool.com/frontline-leader-community-5779/about Learn more:https://transformleadershipcoach.com Lead well. Live well.

  5. Jul 20

    Make Your Job Easier: The Question Every Manager Should Ask

    What would your job look like if your employees showed up, stayed, knew what to do, and actually wanted to be there? After asking a group of frontline managers what would make their jobs easier, nearly everyone gave the same answer. Their response revealed why so many managers remain trapped in survival mode—covering call-outs, training replacements, correcting repeated mistakes, and putting out fires all day. In Episode 9 of Stories from the Frontline, Todd Roberts explores the leadership choices that can make your job easier tomorrow and six months from now. You’ll hear: Why orientation is not the same as onboardingWhat new employees need during their first weekWhy engagement is not a pizza partyHow small moments of connection influence retentionWhy strong workplace culture can be felt before it is explainedHow investing five minutes today may save weeks of replacement hiring laterThe challenge is simple: What can you do today to make your job easier tomorrow—or six months from now? Stop becoming a better firefighter. Start creating fewer fires. https://www.skool.com/frontline-leader-community-5779/about How to Be a Great Leaderhttps://a.co/d/0hbWbFqi Build a Team People Want to Show Up Forhttps://a.co/d/0hbWbFqi Learn more about Todd Roberts, leadership coaching, workshops, and resources: https://transformleadershipcoach.com #StoriesFromTheFrontline #FrontlineLeader #LeadershipPodcast #Management #EmployeeEngagement #WorkplaceCulture #NewManagers #EmployeeRetention

  6. Jul 14

    When You're Finally Tired Enough to Change

    What happens when you finally get tired of waiting for someone else to change your situation? In this episode of Stories from the Frontline, Todd Roberts shares the turning points that changed his leadership, career, and life. From watching other operations receive recognition, to missing the same promotion four times, earning an MBA, writing a leadership book, and starting Transform Coaching, each breakthrough began with the same decision: Stop waiting and take ownership of what happens next. This episode is for the manager or supervisor who feels stuck, overlooked, exhausted, or unsure what to do next. You may not control everything around you, but you are not powerless. You can develop yourself. You can change how you lead. You can take the next step. Join the free Frontline Leader Community for practical tools, real conversations, coaching, and support for managers and supervisors: https://www.skool.com/frontline-leader-community-5779/about What are you finally tired enough to change? #Leadership #Managers #Supervisors #FrontlineLeadership #CareerDevelopment

  7. Jul 7

    Managers: Leadership Wasn’t Supposed to Feel Like This | Stories from the Frontline Ep. 7

    Stories from the Frontline, Episode 7: Managers, leadership wasn’t supposed to feel like this. If you’ve ever been promoted into management and thought, “Why does leadership feel this hard?” this episode is for you. Todd Roberts shares his story of becoming a supervisor at 20 years old, being promoted but not prepared, and learning that working harder is not the same as leading better. This episode speaks directly to managers, supervisors, and team leaders who feel overwhelmed, undertrained, and stuck reacting to the same problems every day. Leadership was never meant to feel like survival. You don’t have to figure it out alone. Join the free Frontline Leader Community:https://www.skool.com/frontline-leader-community-5779/about Get the book, How to Be a Great Leader:https://a.co/d/053PPiSQThe Frontline Leader Playbook: Build a Team People Want to Show Up For https://a.co/d/0d4Db9gY #Managers #Supervisors #Leadership #FrontlineLeadership #ManagementTraining

  8. Jun 29

    The Leadership Lesson Nobody Warned You About. Every Manager Changes Lives

    Every manager changes lives. Whether you realize it or not, your leadership doesn't end when the shift is over. It follows your team home, and it follows you home too. In this episode, Todd Roberts shares real stories from more than 33 years of leadership to explore the hidden impact every manager has on employees, families, and their own life. You'll discover why burnout isn't a badge of honor, why the best leaders protect people's dignity, and how one simple decision can change the direction of an entire team. If you've ever felt overwhelmed, reactive, or wondered whether leadership is costing you more than it's giving you, this episode will challenge the way you think about leading. Because every manager changes lives. The only question is... which direction? Join the Fronline Leader Community: https://www.skool.com/frontline-leader-community-5779/about Get the book How to Be A Great Leader https://a.co/d/0eyQXzNq

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About

Stories From the Frontline is a podcast about real leadership, real work, and the lessons that shape our lives. Hosted by Todd Roberts, leadership coach, author, and frontline leader with 33 years of real-world management experience, this show goes beyond leadership theory and corporate buzzwords to explore the human side of growth, work, culture, and success. Each episode features honest conversations, practical wisdom, and real stories from frontline leaders, small business owners, entrepreneurs, graduates, and everyday people learning how to lead, grow, and navigate life with intention. From leadership lessons and mindset shifts to business journeys and personal turning points, there’s a lesson in every story. If you are tired of fake guru advice and want authentic conversations that challenge the way you lead, work, and live, this podcast is for you.

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